Scientifically, there is no way to answer this question. We can’t prove any of the emotions attributed to an animal, but we do know that they experience them. Pet owners who have several different animals notice behavioral changes that point to a cat’s knowledge that something is different after the death of a beloved owner or special friend. They may not mourn exactly as human’s do, however.

When a cat loses a special friend, whether human or animal, it may become less sociable for a while or spend more time crying or vocalizing in some way. It may respond to other animals in the household in a different way, either becoming more aggressive or becoming milder and more submissive. It may seek more interaction from its owner, or it may become moody and retreat as far away from other people and animals as possible.

Often cat owners question whether it is a good idea to allow surviving animals to see the body of the one who has passed away. Unless the deceased died of some contagious disease, this is a choice the pet’s owner must make personally. Some people insist that the smell of the body, whether the odor of death or the odor of the medicines used before death, is disturbing to the other household animals. Others find that by allowing their other pets to sniff or lick their beloved friend brings a kind of closure. Cats seem to realize that when another cat doesn’t respond to attempts to awaken it, it will probably regain consciousness.

Quite often owners report that the cats which are left behind begin to act like or take on the nature and habits that once belonged to the diseased cat. This is not a supernatural event. This is just the cats’ way of changing the hierarchy that had previously been established. A new cat must rise as the leader, taking charge. This cat may sleep where the previous leader slept, or be the one to communicate the needs of the other animals first.

Whenever a cat is mourning, it is the owner’s responsibility to give it more love and attention. Given time, the household will settle into a new pattern although the deceased will never be completely forgotten.